I will be heading back to work on Monday – part-time, happily – after three months of bonding with Sophie and easing into motherhood. Though I am saddened to be leaving her (albeit, “daycare” responsibilities are being split between me, my husband, and my mother), I feel blessed and happy through to my core. And though this time is passing so quickly, I am learning to parent in the present, mindfully, and to have gratitude for all the special little moments packed within seemingly ordinary days. Read more »
Probiotics- so much more than gut support
A handful of health-conscious friends of mine were surprised to learn that I take a probiotic to help not just my digestion but also my overall immune system.
Most of us know that probiotics can help ease bloating and gas, treat diarrhea and support the health of our entire gastrointestinal tract. But there are a number of studies that also show probiotics decreasing the symptoms of upper respiratory infections. This really is not surprising since 80% of our immune system actually works in our gut. Most recently an article was published in the journal Pediatrics which studied 326 children who took a combination of 2 probiotics (L. acidophilus NCFM and Bifidobacterium lactis) or placebo for 6-months. The children who took probiotics had less fever, coughing and runny nose than the placebo group.
PAP Smear Screening Guidelines Have Changed
Mammograms are not the only women’s screening test to have its recommended guidelines changed (although it has received most of the press). The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has updated their PAP smear testing guidelines as well. (I should clarify that it was the US Preventive Task Force (USPSTF) that recommended against ACOG’s screening mammogram guidelines. USPSTF recommends mammogram screening starting at age 50 while ACOG maintains its current advice that women receive routine screening at age 40. In other words, the people who recommended mammogram screening changes are not the same people who have recommended this change in pap smear guidelines).
There are 2 different Pap smear screening techniques: the conventional Pap smear slide (the old school but acceptable way) and the liquid-based process. The liquid-based test (which we do at Akasha) filters out blood, inflammatory cells and other debris while also being capable of testing for HPV, gonorrhea and Chlamydia.
As of December 2009, ACOGs PAP smear recommendations are: Read more »
Happy New Year
I enjoy making New Year’s resolutions. The start of a new year is a great time to reflect on the year that was and set goals for the future. I find that organizing my goals in a journal is a useful way to keep track of them and to help me approach them with intention.
I have two suggestions for writing down your resolutions: be specific and enjoy the process. Read more »
Managing Stress During the Holiday Season
During the holiday season, the parties, family gatherings, social obligations and need to be everything to everyone can be overwhelming and contribute to holiday stress. Managing stress during the holidays does not necessitate that we shorten our to-do list. But feelings of stress should motivate us “to do something” that may affect the way we look at what we have to do.
Sometimes, simple recipes are all we need to mitigate stress and feel more present in our lives. The following bullets are what my patients have reported to me over the years as effective stress-relieving tools. Finding calm is personal, so stress-relieving activities vary for everyone. A few suggestions: Read more »
Mind Over Labor, Except During Labor
For someone who believes in the intimate connection between mind and body, labor, for me, was a time of their strong separation. Labor was all body. My mind was elsewhere, unaware of time or the physical sensations experienced. I let my body go and do what it naturally knows how to do. But, it took work to get to this place of surrendering my mind to the natural skills of my body.
It is commonly expected that labor is painful, agonizing and needs to be numbed. I have no issue with a woman choosing to have an epidural. My issue is with the expectation that labor needs to be painful and medicated. That’s because with this expectation causes fear and fear can turn bodily sensations into painful experiences.
Taking a natural childbirth class and studying hypnobirthing gave me the tools to trust my body and experience a calm, joyous, pain-free (not “pressure-free”) labor. From the first class, it was suggested that “pain” and “contractions” need not be part of my labor vocabulary. My childbirth teacher, Glyol Pannbechi, encouraged us to view labor contractions as “surges of love” and Michelle Leclaire O’Neill (developer of the Leclaire Hypnobirthing Method-the original hypnobirthing method) suggested that contractions be experienced as “rhythmic risings”. It took work to change the “painful labor discourse” to my own script. As I approached term, I felt prepared. I was ready. And when those “rhythmic risings” started, I smiled and the rest is really a blur. I knew each sensation brought me closer to holding my daughter. My body felt pressure, but it moved and breathed in ways that were natural and organic. Seven hours later my daughter slipped out of my body and into my arms.
Our Beautiful Girl Arrives After a Beautiful Homebirth
Kirk and I welcomed our daughter, Sophie Josephina, born Friday, October 30th at 7:46AM. She seemed to fall gracefully through me and into this world with her eyes wide open. My entire pregnancy, labor and first week at home with our daughter has been magical. I do believe this has a lot to do with the amount of work I put into my pregnancy and the preparation for labor. Preconception care, a healthy pregnancy diet, exercise, meditation and striving for balance in my life, has each played a role in an easy and uncomplicated pregnancy and empowering labor experience. I feel inspired to share. As a doctor, I understand that every pregnancy is different. One woman may experience her first pregnancy with ease and her second with difficulty with no change in her own dietary and lifestyle patterns. My recommendations are not meant to be a recipe for an easy pregnancy and birth. Rather, they are meant to give women the tools to optimize their bodies for a healthy pregnancy, birth and baby.
Heart Disease and Hormone Replacement Therapy
I am 2-days post my delivery due date and, as evident from my recent blogs, have pregnancy on my mind. But, a huge part of my practice is working with Perimenopausal and Menopausal woman and I am always keeping up with the latest research on women, aging and hormones.
A lot of fear surrounds hormone replacement therapy (HRT) since the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) published their findings in 2002. My patients are on bioidentical hormones and understand that there is a big difference between bioidentical hormones and the synthetic hormones studied in the WHI study. That being said, it would be irresponsible to dismiss the WHI findings which originally suggested that there was an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in HRT users containing synthetic estrogens and a synthetic progestin. However, a more recent and detailed analysis of the WHI data has since shown that this is not the case. In fact, when HRT is started around the time of menopause there may even be protection of cardiovascular disease. This finding is receiving very little publicity yet it negates a huge concern about HRT use. Read more »
More Good News for Folic Acid
It is well known that pregnant woman need to be on folic acid to prevent against neural tube defect. Neural tube defect can manifest as spina bifida (cleft in the spinal column) or as abnormalities in brain development. In 1996 the US Preventative Service Task Force (USPTF) first published its folic acid recommendation of 0.4 mg (400mcg) during the prenatal period and 0.8 mg (800 mcg) during pregnancy to prevent against neural tube defect.
New research is now showing that folic acid supplementation prevents against cleft lips (http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/150/9/626) and decreases the incidence of congenital heart defects (http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/338/may12_2/b1673?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=folic+acid+and+congenital+heart+disease&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&volume=338&resourcetype=HWCIT). If you’re taking a prenatal vitamin, you are likely getting all the folic acid you need (0.8mg-1.0mg). If you are thinking about getting pregnant, make sure you are taking adequate amounts of folic acid (0.4mg-1.0mg) to maximize its benefits.
DHA During Pregnancy
DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) is an omega 3 fatty acid essential for pregnant women and their developing fetus. Because it is an “essential fatty acid” women must get it through their diet or supplementation in order to reap the many benefits for themselves and their baby.
